i have a otter wilderness package (northern) the bigger one. can anyone tell me if it will fit in the back of one of these two vehicles? i think it’s like 6’3 from tip to tip.i will be looking for a new verhicle this winter and the trailblazer really caught my eye.
While I don’t have any idea if the otter will fit in these vehicles I do have a caution about one of the SUVs.
I work at a dealership (have since 94) and can say with confidence that the Trailblazer will dissapoint you. They are and have been problematic since day one. As a vehicle they are decent, nice options, style, and power. But the constant problems with transmissions, coil springs, windnoise, wheel bearings, and all the piddly stuff is ridiculous.
I have been at a Ford dealership for eleven years and have never seen this kind of problem with the Explorer line. From 02 and up the Explorers have only had widespread issues with leaking rear axle seals, and that is an easily repaired concern. I have been at a Ford/GM dealer for the past year and in that time have been totally amazed at the poor quality of the T/B. Monday marked the beginning of yet another lemon law case on one of these vehicles. We’re afraid to service them anymore as we know what it leads to.
GOod luck in what you choose. If I were you I’d seriously research the two rigs in question as well as the dealers you intend to have them serviced at.
I too have heard bad rumors about the trailblazers, nothing in particular that I can remember (helpful aren’t I 
), I’m sure some searching may help you find some stuff, I don’t have anything good or bad to say about either, I’d just make sure you do some forum searches on traiblazers, if you want to go that route, because there does seem to be a little buzz about problems. Standart buying practice for me anyways. 
Keep in mind internet car/truck forums, have probably a bit more vocal unhappy people, then happy people who don’t just post how much they like thier rides.
We have an 02 Envoy, same as TB. We have 87k on it and have had no problems as of yet. When I worked in an auto shop we put a lot of ball joints in explorers, Im not bad mouthing them, but every vehicle will have problems. Our envoy has been flawless, with about 21-22 mpg highway and 16 city. I think it all depends on how many of each vehicle are on the road near you. Here a lot of Explorers not as many TB/Envoys, maybe why it seemed like we were always working on the ford SUVs.
hey thanks for the info i will do alot more research before i buy, hey nick 858 with the seats foldes down how much room is there from the back of the front seats to the back of the cargo area?
I’ll post happy. I own a 2000 Explorer. for a year It was my only means to haul a 20′, 3900 lb center console boat. Its been a faithfull gorcery getter for the wife, and our “Family car” for trips and such. It has 80k miles and the biggest complaint I have is that the rear window wiper quit working after the warranty ran out and I can’t seem to find the problem.
Personally, I’m willing to buy another one.
My Otter Magnum Lodge will not fit in the back of my TB with the seats all the way back. If the Otter Sled is 6’6″, the I bet the cargo area of the TB is about 6′ or 6’3″. If you slid the seats all the way forward it might fit, but that isn’t really practical, for me anyways.
To get around this, I bought one of those racks that slide into the reciever of the truck and put my fish house on that. It hauls well, is only a few inches wider than the truck and you don’t need a trailer. Downsides are that your sled and cover get salt on them and it blocks your tail lights, which I fixed by putting a set of lights (that plug in just like a trailer) on my rack.
As for problems, I have had a few, but nothing major yet. My left front wheel hums a little bit, probably wheel bearings. Also last fall when duck hunting, I used the 4×4 to drive down a muddy trail, hunted for the morning, and when I started the truck up to leave I had a Service 4×4 light on and no 4×4. Scary, I would never have made it out in 2wd. Nothing I did fixed the problem, so I turned off the truck, pulled the fuse, waited a minute, put the fuse back in, started the truck, put it in 4×4 and drove away.
On the 03 models, the gasket around the rear license plate tray shrinks and looks bad.
On the good side, It has lots of power and good brakes, making it a nice vehicle for pulling trailers. I just got back from a trip to canada where we pulled a 17′ Lund Angler SS fully loaded with camping gear and gas 920 miles each way. We averaged 15mpg driving 72 mph in 3, not D.
All in all, I like my TB, yes it has its problems, but show me a vehicle that doesn’t. They are all money pits.
The lengh from the back of the center counsole to the lift gate is 6′ 6″ giving you about 3″ to spare,and the width is 48″ on an ’06 explorer. if you have any more questions just let me know thanks, Corey
Fishahollik you may want to look at the rear wiper disable switch. The part number is F1DZ 14018-A about $19.00 for the switch. It’s the most common problem with the rear wiper but, with out looking at it I could not guaranty that’s it. The switch is located in the latch for the rear window. Hope this helps and good luck. Mark
I’ve got a 2002 TB that I bought new and have never had a problem (minus a recall letter for a blinker that never failed for me anyway.)
Last year I bought a 2004 TB EXT for my wife. The only problem we had was when turning to the right, there was a grinding noise. Turned out to just be a rock stuck up there. Haven’t had a problem to speak of with either of them and will probably be trading in my 2002 for a new one next year.
JD
Wow!
Never heard of the trailblazer problems………A close buddy of mine has a 2002 and has NEVER had any issues with it. It is a great vehicle!
One word, DURANGO.
big g 
Why bother with the small and midsized? Go full size and the gas milage is roughly the same.
What kind of gas mileage does that Durango get Big G?
I agree with you Impala. My next one will probably be a 4 door pickup since this is no longer my commuter vehicle, but it is a pain to try to park a full size pickup in a parking ramp downtown with a longer wheelbase. As a hunting/fishing vehicle, it is nice to have a full size, and very true, the gas mileage on the fullsize with a bigger engine is not much different, especially when pulling a load.
hey thanks for the replies guys.
thanks again
steve
Depends on engine. 4.7 litre gets about 14 city, 16 hwy. 5.7 Hemi with MDS gets about 15 city and 18 hwy.
big g
He said D-A-K-O-T-A… 
If I am not mistaken, its the second largest gas pig of an SUV behind the v10 Excursion. At least the Excursion will tow your house and 8 people too.
Wow, a whopping 15-17mpg? I get that with my Explorer with a head wind towing the boat and loaded up with camping gear. Couldn’t get 14 mpg with it unless I was draggin that Dakota backwards.
Quote:
My next one will probably be a 4 door pickup, but it is a pain to try to park a full size pickup in a parking ramp downtown with a longer wheelbase.
I only have a Chevy crew with an 8 ft box. Parking in the ramp isn’t all that bad. I have an 8.1 gasser with an Allison automatic that gets 16 mpg. After having this truck, I won’t get anything less than what I did.
I have had the S-10 Blazers, A Tahoe, now I’m in a 2003 Suburban and it gets better mileage than any of them. I consistantly run 17 just beatin around and best was a trip from Clinton, Ia up to Cabelas at PDC got 20.1 mpg ! It’s got a 5.3l V-8 and automatic 4X4, and all the pony’s you could want!
i believe the 5.4 is a ford motor
I agree, the Trial Blazer has been a very good vehicle. My son has been a GM mechanic for about eight years and claims the Trail Blazer is one of GM’s most reliable vehicles.
You might want to check your facts, you are mistaken. With anything, you get what you pay for. Sorry your so bitter, but I said DURANGO, I guess if the biggest problem you have with your sons Dakota is the lights, you have HIGH expectations from a 90’s truck.
big g
Quote:
Wow, a whopping 15-17mpg? I get that with my Explorer with a head wind towing the boat and loaded up with camping gear.
WHAT?????????????
Fish, sorry about the misdirection of this thread, but I figured as long as we are talking about it, I would throw this out there. This is a great site for comparing vehicles from a gas mileage perspective.
fueleconomy.gov
Cool link Jeff. I compared a 05 Durango and an 05 Explorer. Both V-8’s and the mileage comes out the same, avg. 16. Hmmmmmmmm.
big g 
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